Concrete door-step.



l. T. OSBORN.

CONCRETE DOOR STEP.

APPLICATION' FILED )uw r, |911.

1 ,265,949. Patented May14,1918.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE JAMES TOLEAFUS OSBOBN, 0F WEST POINT, .'EIISSISSIPIEI,` ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 CHARLIE KEER MCGEE, OE WEST4 POINT, MISSISSIPPI.

coNcnETE noon-STEP.

vusua y employed in concrete work of this character, and to provide concrete door steps formed of parts which have been molded at ya factory or other suitable place, where the work can be done rapidly and cheaply, and where a stock can always be carried ready for immediate use or for shipment.

Another object is to provide steps of this character formed of parts so constructed that the can be easily and quickly united and' loc ed together in unitary construction, but which will nevertheless permit the treads to be removed without great dimculty whenever it is found necessary to do so.

A further object is to fprovide steps of this character formed o4 parts so constructed that they are free from bosses or projecting parts of any kind that would be liable to get broken in handling or shipping, and that are capable of compact pac ing for storage or for shipment.

Other objects will appear in the subjoined descri tion.

A leading eature of my construction consists in the combination with supporting stringers, of risers having vertical grooves on their rear sides into which grooves the riser portions of the stringers are received, whereby the stringers are held in vertical `position and are securedagainst rocking movement; and treads with their rear sides abutting against the outer sides of the res ectve risers next above,the under portlon of each tread, and the upper portion of Specication of Letters Patent.

Applioation med July 7, 1917. Serial N0. 179,234.

Patented May 14, 1918.

eachl riser and each tread-receiving portion of the stringers being formed with registermg openings which are illed with fresh cement when the parts are assembled, whereby the vtreads are rigidly. united to the strmgersand the risers at certain predetermmed points, and the stringers, risers, and treads are all securely locked together.

The invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of the several parts, as will be hereinafter specifically described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a of my improve steps with certain parts removed and broken away, reveal the construction.

Fig. 2 is `a broken view lof a vertical central section of my steps. n

Fig. 3 is a broken view of a vertical section taken through one of the stringers.

Fig. 4c is a perspective view of one of the stringers.

gig. 5 is a perspective of one of the risers, an

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the under side of one of the treads.

The numeral 1 indicates the stringers provided on their upper edges with the usual tread and riser portions 2 and 3 respectively, the tread portions having the elongated openings 4.

The risers 5 are provided on their rear sides with the vertical grooves which extend entirely through the lower sides of the risers formin the notches 7 andV on their upper side e ges, preferably centrally thereof, the risers are provided with the elongated openings 8.

Each tread is rovided 4on its under side near its ends wit the elongated transverse openings 10, and near its front edge approximately midway of the tread with a similar longitudinally extending o ening 11.

The lower riser 12 is, like the ot er risers, provided on its rear side with the transverse grooves 6a which receive the lower ends of erspective view of a Hight' to more clearlyf the strin ers: but this riser being at the of the stringere, and. has vno lower portion containing 'notches 7 as do the other risers. Near their upper ends the stringers 4are -,provided on their under sides with notches 13 which receive the hangers 14, of any ordinary or preferred construction, for supporting the upper end of the steps 1n engage- -ment with the house.

A"at the upper ends of the stringers are omitted: and when both slab an hangers are used, the steps are doubly secured 1n position.

The different parts of my steps are sultably provided with reinforcing rods or bars 17, and the number of reinforcinigars may be varied in diierent cases accor g to the amount of strain to be imposed upon the tion to register with the different flights of steps.

` In assembling the parts of my steps after the stringere have been mounted on the s lab 15 and secured to the wall lof the bulldmg by means of the hangers 14, the upper rlser is placed in position on the stringers with its transverse grooves 6 and notches 7 engaging the riser and tread portions respectively of the stringersl The elongated openings 4 in the top tread portions of the strmgers, and the coperating opening 8 1n the upper edge of the top riser are now in posiopenings 10 and 11 respectively on the under side of the tread when the same is laid in operative pos1t1on upon said parts. All six of said openings are then filled with fresh cement, indicated by the'numeral 18, so that when the upper tread is laid in operative position on said parts, the portions of cement in the respective'up er and lower registering openings `will umte-and set, and thus hold the tread in rigid engagement with the stringere and riser. The next riser below is then placed in position just as the upper one was, and the second tread is placed upon said riser and the coperating tread portions of .the stringers, and cemented in that position )ust as the first tread was. This brings the rear edge of the second tread into abutting engagement with the lower front side of the riser next above, and thus locks that riser in engagement with the stringere. In like manner the third riser and tread are placed in position, and so on, till the bottom of the steps is reached. When the last tread is cemented in position, all the parts will'be rigidly united and locked together.

The diderent portions of cement 18 in the registering openings of the stringere, risers,

actual ractice to ladmirabl meet this condition y permitting the equent unequal contractlon and expansion of the differentv parts to take place without breaking the connection between the parts. f

`Whenever on account ofv a tread getting broken, or for any other reason, it becomes necessary or desirable to replace an old tread with a new one, the cement connections herein shown between the 'treads and the parts supporting them, are such that the same may be readily broken with a chisel,

and the objectionable tread removed and replaced by a new one. This may be done without disturbing the connection between the risers and stringere.

If the elongated o enings 4, 8, 10 and 11 were omitted from t e strmgers, risers and treads, simply leaving unbroken Hat surfaces at the points where said openings occur, and then cement were laced at those points between said parts, 1t would usually not hold very long, since cement between these smooth surfaces would be apt to soon come loose by reason of the jar occasioned by walkin over the steps, as well as from the unequa contraction and expansion of the several parts, as pointed out above.

For iights of steps of different heights I am of course compelled to employ strlngers of different lengths, but so long .as the steps are of standard width, no'change is required in the construction ofthe treads and risers used; the only dierence being that the lower iights of steps require fewer pieces and the igher flights more pieces of the same stock.

Having now described my invention, what I claim -as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a step construction, the combination of stringers, risers, and treads, all preformed out of concrete, the rear side of each tread abutting against the outer portion of the riser next above, and the forward edge of each tread overlying the upper side of the riser next below, and the under portion of each tread, and the upper portion of each riser and each tread-receiving portion of the Stringer, being formed with registering openings, the said openings being filled with fresh cement, whereby the treads are securely held to the stringere and the risers at certain predetermined points without the necessity of placing cement at other points.

'2. In a step construction, the combination are held in vertical position and secured' of stringers, risers, and treads, all preformed against rocking movement. 10

out of concrete, the rear side of each riser In testimony whereof I aix my signature having vertical grooves and the bottom side in the presence of two Witnesses.

5 of the riser having notches forming continn- JAMES TOLEAFUS OSBORN.

ations of said grooves, the riser and tread Witnesses: portions of the stringers engaging said FRED C. JONES,

grooves and notches, whereby the stringers CHAs. E. CROWELL. 

